Recoil is a musical project created by former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder. Essentially a solo venture, Recoil began whilst Wilder was still in Depeche Mode as an outlet for his experimental, less pop-oriented compositions. Once he announced his departure from the group in 1995, Recoil was transformed from a small side-project into Wilder’s primary musical enterprise.

The post above on the official Facebook Depeche Mode fan page has puzzled the world – are the rumors true that Alan will yet again join DM on their upcoming new album?

A still taken from the “Policy of truth” video accompanied by the line: “Never again / Is what you swore”. Many (ten thousands of fans actually) have interpreted this as a hint that Alan Wilder will indeed be rejoining Depeche Mode in order to work on the band’s new upcoming album.

So far no comments has come from Alan after being approached and for the moment Alan Wilder has other things on his mind though as he is busy promoting his soon to be released Blu-ray “A Strange Hour in Budapest”. The release is getting quite some feedback from fans, with a first limited edition even literally selling out in just a few hours.

“Following the departure of Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode placed an advertisement in the music magazine Melody Maker: “Keyboard player needed for established band – no timewasters.” Even though the ad was looking for someone under 21 (Wilder was 22) he lied about his age to get the job, and got away with it. He joined Depeche Mode in January 1982, initially as a tour keyboardist, and soon thereafter as a full member of the recording band… On 1 June 1995 (his 36th birthday), Alan announced his departure from Depeche Mode: “Due to increasing dissatisfaction with the internal relations and working practices of the group, it is with some sadness that I have decided to part company from Depeche Mode. My decision to leave the group was not an easy one particularly as our last few albums were an indication of the full potential that Depeche Mode was realising.”

Following the recent news about the book, Fierce Panda have announced more details about the upcoming Talk Talk tribute album ‘Spirit of Talk Talk’.

Here is a summary of the info released by the record company.

Well we’ve been keeping it under our furry hat but the truth will always out. And so it is that likes of Pitchfork have picked up on the factette that we have been working on in our top secret bunker – a compilation tribute album to those abstract wonders TALK TALK. It was 1982 when Mark Hollis and pals first soared into view with a slew of deceptively commercial hit singles. However by the time Talk Talk delivered the seminal ‘The Colour Of Spring’ album, which brilliantly merged pop instinct with experimental flair, they’d long since shed any hint of being mere also (Duran Du)rans.

After then – in a career shift eerily similar to that of future labelmates Radiohead – Hollis and co turned their backs on the mainstream and made three albums (two as Talk Talk, one solo) of breathtaking scope and mind-blowing minimalism before completely fading from view. The compilation album entitled ‘Spirit Of Talk Talk’ is a mighty affair which, in testament to Talk Talk’s 30th anniversary, will feature artists, acts and personalities including King Creosote, Recoil, Jason Lytle, Zero 7, Linton Kwesi Johnson, White Belt Yellow Tag, Joan As Policewoman, Electric Soft Parade, Goldheart Assembly and many, many more guests from Bon Iver to Arcade Fire covering close to 30 Talk Talk tunes from ‘Today’ via ‘Life’s What You Make It’ to ‘After The Flood’.

The album is slated for release on May 28th on double CD and download and will be accompanied by a lavish book, also called ‘Spirit Of Talk Talk’, which features eulogies from, among others, the likes of Guy Garvey (Elbow), Richard Wright (Pink Floyd), Karl Hyde (Underworld), Wild Beasts and James Lavelle (UNKLE). The artwork for both artefacts is provided by original Talk Talk illustrator James Marsh and the book features all manner of Mark Hollis-related delights for music lovers old and new to swoon over, such as lost photos and handwritten lyric sheets. There is also a plan to feature a Roll Of Honour listing the names of fans who pre-order the book.

Alan Wilder (Recoil / ex-Depeche Mode) has been helping out as music supervisor and is currently involved in the compiling and mastering process.

He says: “It’s already proving quite a complicated process collecting all the mixes and final masters from each artist, deciding (with Toby the organiser) which work best, and which can be elegantly edited and tweaked in order to fit so many exciting contributions on, whilst retaining a pleasurable and balanced overall album experience. We want to avoid just throwing out a mish-mash of different styles without considering the continuity from which any album should benefit. I hope this fine tuning, along with so many great versions, will help to ensure ‘Spirit Of Talk Talk’ becomes one of the very best tribute albums ever made.”

Here’s a brand new interview with Alan Wilder at ElektroStat in Norway. You can also ready our interview with Wilder here that we made a couple of weeks ago, enjoy.

In a video interview with Side-Line Magazine in Oslo backstage during the ElektroStat festival, Alan Wilder has announced plans for a live film of the recent “Strange Hour” tour. The material was shot in Budapest at the end of last year in super HD and if all goes as planned the material should hit the stores in early 2012.

Alan Wilder also recorded two covers (and not just one: read also Talk talk tribute album featuring Alan Wilder (Recoil)) of Talk talk for an upcoming Talk Talk tribute album which should come out in Spring 2012. The covers are “Dum Dum Girl” (1984) and “Inheritance” (1988), the latter was recorded together with the UK-based dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. More details on these two covers can be heard in the interview video here or below.

And the revelations didn’t just stop there. During the interview Wilder also announced that he’s also doing a remix for Alessandro Cortini, an Italian musician best known for touring and recording with Nine Inch Nails from 2004 to 2008. Currently, Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles based electronic-alternative band Sonoio and that’s the project Wilder made a remix for.

More ElektroStat reporting will be published in the next few days with pictures, audio, interviews and so on. As a teaser, here’s an impression of the Recoil set (or check below) and the excellent ambiance inside the venue, a lovely renovated factory in the center of Oslo.

The official full-colour catalogue for COLLECTED – The Alan Wilder/Depeche Mode Collection is now complete, with plenty of photographs, a foreward by Alan, and all 414 lots described in detail, along with anything else you could possibly need to know.

This catalogue will also be available as a limited edition collectable printed book (from Omega), at the bargain price of only £5. Get your registrations and orders in soon as they will go fast!

In order to attend the event in Manchester you will need to be registered with Omega Auctions. Please visit: Omega for more information on registration. Theatre places at Zion Arts Centre are limited so please register early to avoid disappointment.

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Also, at eBay – more exclusive items ahead of the auction were added last Sunday. Be quick and get your bids in as these one-offs will only be there for a few more days! Everything posted at this eBay link is authentic & part of the full AW/DM collection.

Steelberry Clones got a talk with none other than the synth legend Alan Wilder (ex-member of Depeche Mode and now front man of the electro/synth experimental act Recoil). Few can match the track record of Alan Wilder and few have had such an impact on the synth scene for the past 30 years, or so. Alan Wilder´s Recoil continues this tradition into the 21st century exploring the boundaries of electronic music, and since Alan now is in full preparation of delivering probably the world´s biggest Depeche Mode memorabilia auction at the Zion Arts Centre, we simply had to pose some questions to him regarding his music creation legacy, gear and plans moving forward.

“Collected” is the name of Alan’s big auction on Saturday 3rd September, for detailed information on how to join please follow this link:

So in just a few weeks time, over 400 lots will go under the hammer as Alan Wilder sells a large selection of musical / studio equipment and memorabilia at auction. Many items are very collectable and hold special value having been used extensively in the recording sessions for classic Depeche Mode and Recoil albums, as well as live performances on the ‘Black Celebration’, ‘Music For The Masses’, ‘World Violation’ and ‘Devotional’ tours.

http://youtu.be/EHejxJ1KPxk

But for most synth/electro fans this is truly not just any ordinary auction, but a clear reason why we needed to pose some questions to Alan about the auction in general and about his music making legacy in particular.

Why are you running this auction? is it for charity, or something else?

It’s for the charity of Alan Wilder unfortunately. Let’s be honest, divorce is an ugly thing and the record business has been in crisis for some time now. I’m not over sentimental about retaining every little detail of my musical history. In fact I still have a large collection of essential items, all the releases I have played on, many photographs and unique personal things. But really, I need more space (and peace) in my life and this goes part of the way to achieving that. Indeed I found it an evocative and cathartic experience to sift through all the collectables – the actual sorting and cataloging process brought back great memories and I was able to re-live some key moments which I had inevitably forgotten about, reminding me of how lucky I have been to have enjoyed such a career, doing something I’m passionate about.

http://youtu.be/LiLyiDw6qeg

Will it not be hard to let go of many of these unique items – any particular items that are special to you, that we should keep an extra eye on at the auction?

Yes – many do hold wonderful memories of course but I don’t find myself actually using most of the equipment for example. One of my new year’s resolutions for 2011 was to start streamlining my set-up at The Thin Line Studios. My needs have altered since laptops, soft synths and plug-ins have come to the fore, and therefore passing on some vintage gear and historical items seemed like a good way to start. The Steinway grand piano and the ‘Devotional’ drum kit are two things I’m letting go with a heavy heart. Thankfully I have a second piano, and can’t really justify having two at the moment. And if I feel like picking up drumming again, I guess I can easily find myself another (cheaper) kit. As for something to keep an eye on in the auction, I think the unreleased box set known as DMBS 1-4 is likely to spark major interest. Known as the ‘Holy Grail’, these are the 4 extremely rare white labels from the Depeche Mode boxset that was never released. It was recalled at the last minute for unknown reasons. The Emulators with my own sound samples, the guitar used by Martin Gore for the ‘Devotional’ tour, and my touring wardrobe & stage clothing should all prove very popular. We have art proofs and one-off posters, and already we can see that album acetates are extremely desirable, being so rare. Only one or two are ever produced for a record release and I have quite a few of these iconic records. A few selected teaser items are currently on sale via eBay, and more will be added as we approach the auction. (http://shop.ebay.com/depechemodeatomegaauctions/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562)

Will you be joined at the event by any of your old band mates (DM)?

Not a chance:)

How can you part with your first synthesizer, the Minimoog?

I guess you could say that the mini-moog does hold particular value as it’s been with me for such a long time, throughout my career. It was the first synthesiser I bought around 1977, pre-Mode, when I was a member of Dafne & The Tenderspots. It was a big deal for us at the time as it was quite expensive and we couldn’t really afford it until we secured our record deal. It is still probably my all-time favourite synthesiser due to the famous fat 3-oscillator sound, and of course it’s an absolute classic. I continued to use it for many years on early Mode recordings such as ‘Construction Time Again’ and ‘Some Great Reward’ and even had a midi update added during the eighties. However, I also own a ‘midi’-moog, which is the rack-mount version of the original mini-moog. It pretty much sounds the same and serves my purpose in the studio. I found that I wasn’t using the original moog any more, and like many of these items, it has been sitting around gathering dust. Much better then that all these old synths should be cleaned, restored, repaired and passed on, to people who will dote on them, use them again – individuals who will fully appreciate their history and the symbolic (as well as practical) value they hold. And, the moog will no doubt increase in value, like most vintage gear. These synths are like old cars that need to be driven. The way I feel about most items in the auction is how I feel about the gold discs for instance – I never wanted to display them on my walls in some ostentatious way, and I think often the musicians themselves are not too bothered about those things. Gold discs mean a lot more to those who are more peripheral or outside of the original experience, but who are very passionate about what they represent.

Regarding the patch discs for the Emulator’s and Akai’s – have you made some backup of those sounds somehow?

Yes, of course, I have a copy of the sounds for myself.

The sequencer EDP Spider, was that your first sequencer? And does it work? It’s not clear on the web page – they are prone not to work.

I believe it does work but I didn’t have the unusual connecting cable to actually try it out. I guess it was my first and only non-computerised sequencer! Not that I used it much – although it was used to create the bass sequencer part for the Aggro mix of DM’s ‘Never Let Me Down Again’.

Conclusively, if you are Depeche Mode fan or collector of vintage synth gear this is the one event not to miss out on. Now moving on to the music creation side of things we wanted to ask Alan all those questions about his gear, music creation and plans for the future, that comes when having the opportunity to talk a guy that has been a part of shaping the modern synth scene.

Recoil has been on quite an extensive tour recently, can you let us know how it was received and what your forthcoming plans are?

The European shows went really well at the start of the tour, particularly in eastern parts and Germany, Hungary, Poland, France etc. The US shows were a bit up and down, but generally quite successful I would say. I do think USA is the most difficult territory to tour, and it was a bit of a relief to follow that down to South America where the fans are so passionate and the crowds always wild, excitable. It was quite an experience there.